A new tuition-free preschool from Jeff Bezos’ Montessori network has opened inside a Glendale, Arizona, senior living center, raising questions about whether intergenerational learning models could help families squeezed by income limits and child care waitlists.
What’s happening?
Founded in Washington state in 2020, Bezos Academy was created to broaden access to early childhood education in underserved communities. As the Arizona Republic reported, the Glendale location is the first Bezos Academy in the state that is not connected to an existing school.
The school enrolls children ages 3 to 5 and offers free tuition and meals to households at or below 400% of the federal poverty level — $132,000 for a family of four. Arizona ranks 45th nationally for public preschool enrollment among 4-year-olds, according to the 2025 State of Preschool Yearbook from Rutgers University’s National Institute for Early Education Research.
Head Start serves households at or below 100% of the federal poverty level, while the Arizona Department of Economic Security reports waitlists involving 15,000 children and 9,000 families for child care assistance.
Kresta Horn, head of school at Bezos Academy Glendale – Sahuaro Glenn, said the higher income cap is intended to include children who might otherwise be missed and give them a chance to build important skills before kindergarten.
Here’s what to know
Rather than operating on a traditional school site, the preschool is located at the Glencroft Center for Modern Aging, where leaders want residents to volunteer and form relationships with students that could benefit both generations…